Megumi's Wish
by mrthou
Summary: Everyone has a wish or two, but only a lucky few have them granted. And fewer still will use their wish for another. An Oh My Goddess - Ranma 1/2 Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Megumi's Wish  
An Oh My Goddess / Ranma 1/2 Crossover fanfiction

by mrthou

Disclaimer: Based on characters and situations created by Kosuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess!) and Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2). They are used here without permission, but without intent of profit.

Chapter 1  


* * *

* * *

There were some duties that Megumi Morisato enjoyed more than others. This was one of the former. Megumi was an outgoing person by nature, so the task of welcoming the newest tenants was one she genuinely enjoyed.

Megumi had campaigned rather vigorously for the responsibility of assistant apartment manager, and -- as with most things she strived for -- she had achieved it. There were other tenants who had seniority, both upper-classmen and those who had simply lived there longer. But none of them had showed the same enthusiasm for the task, and none begrudged her the position.

The beginning of the Spring quarter was always the busiest time of the year, or so she had been informed by the manager, Mrs. Tanaka. Of course, since Autumn was one of the main enrollment periods for new students, it would make sense that more people would be looking for places to live.

Here it was, room 304. She glanced down at the notepad she was carrying. The student's name was Ranma Saotome, age 19, from Nerima. Phys. Ed. major, first year. That was interesting. NIT didn't have much of a program in that area, though the college did turn out its fair share of teachers.

Megumi raised her hand to knock on the door, and was surprised when it opened before her hand reached the wood.

A young man of medium height held the door. He had blue eyes, and black hair pulled back into a pig-tail. He was wearing loose Chinese-style clothing, and it was apparent that he had an absolutely incredible physique. Definitely a Phys. Ed. major.

"Yes?" the man said, "What is it?" He said it in a neutral sort of way that made his words seem almost offensive.

Unphased, Megumi smiled at him. "Hello. Ranma Saotome?" The man nodded. "I'm Megumi Morisato, the SA for floors three and four."

"SA?"

"Student Assistant. I'm the assistant manager for this floor. I'm here to officially welcome you to the Westwood Apartments."

"Ah... sure. Thanks," Saotome said.

"Anyway, as the assistant manager it's my duty to meet all the new tenants, and give them a list of the rules of conduct." She handed him a sheet of paper. "I know, it's the same as the one you had to sign to rent this room, but humor me. It's my job." She smiled again.

Saotome took the paper. "Yeah, that's the same one." He gave her a half smile.

"Also, if you need any help with anything, lights, plumbing, whatever, just let me know, and I'll get on the problem."

"You a student here? How can you find time to keep this place up?"

"Oh, that's not really my job. My job is to organize everything and make sure everyone knows who's doing what. We all pitch in to keep this place clean. Anyway, I'm in room 301 if you have any problems."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Hmm..." Megumi said. "Oh, one other thing. We're having a party to welcome all the new students, and you're invited of course. This Thursday in the rec-room at 6. You know where it is, right?"

The young man frowned, and let go of the door to cross his arms in front of his chest. "Well, thanks for the invitation, but, I don't think I'll be there."

That wasn't what she wanted to hear. It was her job to organize that party, and she wanted to be sure everyone attended.

"Really?" Megumi asked. "It's a good opportunity to meet some of your fellow students. I'm sure everyone will be delighted to meet you."

"Some of them, I'm sure," Saotome replied cynically. "That's kind of what I'd like to avoid."

"You sure? At the very least it's a free meal."

"Well..."

"C'mon," she cajoled. "My brother's girlfriend will be terribly upset to know someone's refusing her cooking."

"She a good cook?" Saotome asked.

"She's the best I've ever met," Megumi answered. "And I'm not exaggerating at all."

He laughed, and uncrossed his arms. "Okay, I'll go, Morisato. Who am I to be passing up free food?"

Megumi flashed him another smile. "Great! Trust me, you'll have a good time. Everyone'll be there. Oh, and before I go, I need to know what you're going to bring to the party."

"Huh?"

"Food, drink, that sort of thing. One woman's cooking won't feed everyone, you know."

Saotome sighed. "I knew there was a catch. Still, I said I'd go. And Ranma Saotome always keeps his promises..."

Megumi was unsettled by the bitter self-loathing that was evident in Saotome's voice. He seemed sad, and very, very alone. Well, maybe a party was just what he needed.

"We've already got most of what we need. If you can't manage, we'll figure something out."

"Nah, I'll bring something," Ranma said. "What's left?"

Megumi flipped to the appropriate page in her notebook, and handed it to Ranma.

"Well, if you need another noodle dish, I've got a killer yakisoba recipe. Really hot stuff. Will that do?"

"That would be great, Saotome," Megumi said. "Well, I'll see you around. I've got some other things to take care of. Remember, if you have any problems, just knock, or leave a message on the board."

"I'll do that, thanks." He bowed slightly, and then closed the door.

Well, that wasn't quite what she expected, Megumi thought to herself. Still, he seemed nice enough. Just a little distant. She hoped the party would cheer him up.

* * *

It was an interesting experience, Megumi decided, watching Ranma Saotome eat. He was sitting in the middle of the lunch room, eating what the cafeteria staff chose to call food and what most of the students preferred to call barely edible. Saotome didn't seem to notice.

In truth, watching him eat wasn't what was interesting. Rather, it was the exquisite dance going on all around him. He seemed, not oblivious, Megumi thought, but rather indifferent to the feminine attention he was receiving.

Megumi was more than willing to admit he was cute. He had beautiful eyes, she had noticed, and a great body. That was fairly obvious. Still, she wondered what it was about him that was attracting so many women. He was still only one man, no matter how cute, and he was making it perfectly clear he wasn't interested.

Of course, maybe that was it right there. Some women would take that as a challenge.

"Meg? Something wrong?" her brother Keiichi, who was sitting across from her, asked. "You look kind of spaced out."

Megumi shook her head. "No, nothing. Just saw something interesting."

"Who's the guy?" he asked, gesturing vaguely. "The one you've been staring at for the last ten minutes?"

"Ranma Saotome," she answered without thinking, "He's one of the new tenants at my apartment." She mentally shifted gears. "Have I really been staring for ten minutes?"

Keiichi nodded. "Yep. So what's going on with him?"

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Megumi, you've been staring at him for _ten minutes_. I'm just wondering why. Interested in him?"

Megumi blushed, then cursed herself for blushing. "It's nothing like that. I'm not really watching _him_, I'm watching everyone around him."

"Sure, Meg. If you say so. All I see are a bunch of girls trying to talk with him." Keiichi watched for a moment, as one girl left, and another one quickly took her place. "Looks like they aren't getting anywhere, though."

"And that's what I'm wondering about."

"That's easy enough to tell," her brother stated. "He's already got a girlfriend."

"No, he doesn't," Megumi disagreed. "He's available. Otherwise, most of the girls would have given up already."

Belldandy Asgard, her brother's girlfriend, arrived at that moment, bearing a pair of bentos. "Sorry I'm late, dear," she said to Keiichi, and then added "Hello Megumi. It's nice to see you."

"Hey, Bell," Keiichi greeted as he scooted over to make room. "That's okay. You're not responsible for your sister's mess." Belldandy handed Keiichi a bento, then offered the other to Megumi.

"I have another, if you want it."

"No thanks, Bell. I couldn't possibly take your lunch." Megumi pointed to her mostly empty lunch tray. "I've already got one, even if it's not quite as good as anything you make."

"That's an understatement," Keiichi added. "Mmmm. This is great Bell. Thanks."

"I'm so happy you like it, dear," Belldandy replied, and opened her own bento. She nervously started to pick at her food.

It was strange, now that Megumi thought about it, but she almost never saw Belldandy eat anything. In fact, as far as Megumi could recall, Belldandy never packed a lunch for herself. She always had one for Keiichi, but that was it.

Well, it wasn't really her business, and Belldandy obviously wasn't anorexic. She was far too healthy for that. Enviously so, even. Maybe she just didn't like having people watch her eat.

Megumi's gaze wandered across the lunch room, back toward Ranma Saotome.

"Why did he say that?" she said to herself. "And why did he seem so sad about it?"

"Who is sad, Megumi?" Belldandy asked. She followed Megumi's gaze across the lunch room.

"I'm sorry, did I say that out loud?"

"Yep. You're drooling over him again, Meg." Keiichi teased.

"Keiichi, you shouldn't say such things to your little sister," Belldandy rebuked gently. Keiichi flushed briefly, then buried his nose in his food.

Megumi smiled her thanks. "Ranma Saotome. He's a new tenant at my apartment."

"My, he does seem to be attracting a lot of attention."

As they watched, a girl quickly left this table, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Rejected!" Keiichi remarked. "He's starting to get irritated."

"Yeah, he is. I'm really curious..." Megumi said.

"You'll get shot down," Keiichi warned.

"I'm not interested in him that way. And besides, I'm not going over there now."

"He does look sad," Belldandy said. "Can't those girls see he wants to be left alone?"

"Probably not," Megumi replied. "I do wonder why they haven't given..."

Just then, Saotome looked up and made eye contact. He raised an eyebrow, and gestured almost imperceptibly at her with his chopsticks. He held her gaze for a moment, then looked away.

"... up ... yet," Megumi finished. "Umm..."

Saotome made eye contact again. He gestured with his chopsticks once more, this time with a quick motion toward himself. Then he held her gaze.

Megumi raised a hand and pointed to herself. He nodded.

"Meg? What's that about?" her brother asked.

Belldandy answered, "Mr. Saotome just called her over."

"What?"

Saotome gestured a third time.

Megumi got up, and started walking toward him. She hoped she wasn't about to make a fool out of herself.

* * *

Ranma sighed. He wondered what it was about him that attracted so many types of trouble, particularly of the female variety. Ranma was vain, and he knew he was handsome, but the sheer quantity of attention he garnered was ridiculous.

He glanced up at the small crowd of women surrounding him. A few of the members had changed since the last time he looked, but they had been replaced by others who were just the same. He answered a few questions as politely as he could, which wasn't very, considering he was getting a bit irritated. These were the foolish girls, he knew from personal experience. They weren't really interested in him as a person, but rather him as a status symbol. The more clever girls would try to get him alone after lunch, when there was less competition.

Not for the first time Ranma wondered why he didn't just lie and say he was engaged. It wouldn't even be much of a lie, really. There were at least two girls he knew of who still considered him to be their fiance, though Ranma didn't see it the same way. Still, lying had never gotten him anything but trouble, especially since he was so bad at it.

Ranma looked up again, and this time something caught his eye. It was that girl who he talked to last night, the assistant dorm manager. What was her name again? Morisato, that was it. Megumi Morisato. He looked over the two people sitting with her who were also watching him. One, a foreigner by the looks of her, was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, and he'd seen quite a few. She had strange markings on her face -- one on her forehead and one on each cheek. He looked over the boy sitting next to her, a short guy who bore an obvious resemblance to Megumi.

Probably Morisato's brother, Ranma thought, and his girlfriend. Lucky guy, I guess.

An idea occurred to him then. Morisato had said something about talking with her about any problems he might have. Well this wasn't what she meant by that, he was sure, but he did have a problem her presence would solve, at least temporarily. It might embarrass her a bit, but he owed her that much for tricking him into bringing something to that party.

Ranma caught her gaze and gestured at her slightly with his chopsticks. He saw her eyes widen slightly. He'd caught the attention of several other young women in the area, but that didn't really bother him to much.

He gestured again, this time in a "come here" sort of way. She blushed slightly, he could see, then pointed to herself hesitantly. Ranma nodded.

The young man he assumed was her brother said something to her, then the other woman said something in return. Ranma held Morisato's gaze, and gestured a third time, this time jerking his head back slightly to make his intentions more obvious.

Morisato, still blushing slightly, got up from her table and started to wade her way through the lunch room crowd toward him. When she got close enough, Ranma cracked a smile, and called, "Yo, Morisato, where you been?"

* * *

When Saotome called out her name, Megumi realized exactly what he was doing. He was using her to clear up the crowd. Her brother was never going to let her live this down.

"Hey, Saotome," she replied, as casually as she could manage, given the situation.

"Pull up a chair," he said. As she did, there was a collective sigh of disappointment from the surrounding crowd, and various grumblings about the Morisatos having all the luck.

"So, Saotome," Megumi said, "how's your first week at Nekomi Tech treating you?"

"'Bout how you'd probably expect," he replied. "My Psych professor's a real ass. English teacher's pretty good, but I speak the language better'n she does."

"Really? Then why are you taking English at all?"

"I don't read or write it too good," the pig-tailed man said. "Most of my other classes are pretty boring, but that's pretty normal for school."

"Did you get Mr. Suzuki for Psych?"

"Yeah, that's him. Don't like him at all. 'Course, I don't think he likes himself, either."

Megumi smiled. "No, he doesn't." There was a moment's pause, then she continued. "So, Saotome, have you decided what clubs you're going to join?"

"Nah. I'll probably check out the martial arts clubs, if there are any, but I doubt they'll have anyone at my level. Still, it might be kinda fun to throw a couple of 'em around."

"You seem pretty confident about that," Megumi noted. "I've heard that the Kendo team's second captain is one of the best in the minor college league."

"Really?" Ranma asked. "What's his name, do you know?"

"Kuno, I think," Megumi said in response. "I haven't ever met him, but his name has shown up in the school paper a couple of times."

"Tatewaki Kuno?" Saotome asked. Megumi nodded. "I know him. Went to the same high school. He's not so hot. Sticks to the forms too much."

A shadow passed over Saotome's face, the same one that had haunted him for an instant yesterday, when he had made that comment about keeping promises. He shook his head and looked down. "I don't think I want to see him any time soon."

Megumi sensed that she shouldn't ask him to elaborate, so she switched the topic. "Well, there's lots of other clubs. Baseball, swimming, diving, tennis. And there's the non-athletic clubs, like the motor club, chess club, journalism. All sorts of things."

"Hmm... So what clubs are you in?"

"Me? I'm the captain of the softball team. "I'm also sort of an unofficial member of the motor club."

"Unofficial?"

"Yes," Megumi said. "My brother's in it, and his girlfriend too." Megumi leaned a little closer, and then said quietly, "They're the only responsible members of the club. But you don't necessarily have to repeat that to anyone." Megumi continued in a normal voice, "Everything usually ends up getting dumped on my brother, so I lend a hand when I have time."

"That your brother you were sitting with, over there?" Saotome asked.

"Yep, that's him. And his girlfriend, the one who I said cooks so well." Megumi smiled. "You want to meet them?"

Saotome shrugged. "Sure. Don't know to many people around here. I should probably make the effort."

"Hmm?" Megumi said. "What do you mean?"

"Never mind. It's not important."

* * *

Ranma wasn't quite sure why, but he felt comfortable around Megumi. Perhaps it was because, despite the fact that they'd met only yesterday, she had already demonstrated a genuine interest in his well-being, even if it was only on a social level. There weren't to many people who had ever done that.

They made their way to the far corner of the lunch room where Megumi's brother and his girlfriend sat. The man seemed to be watching their approach with some amusement, the woman with concern.

Megumi introduced them. "Keiichi, this is Ranma Saotome. Saotome, Keiichi Morisato."

Keiichi stood, and offered his hand. Ranma noted as he shook his hand that Keiichi was rather short, although size wasn't really something Ranma worried to much about, and that he seemed to be no kind of Martial Artist, which wasn't a surprise at all. So few people were, around here.

"And I'm Belldandy," the young woman next to Keiichi said. She offered her hand as well. Ranma noticed from up close the facial markings she wore were not tattoos, at least not like any he had ever seen. Rather, it looked as if the skin itself was actually colored differently. It was far too real to be body paint, though.

He wondered for a moment how she managed to achieve that effect. It really was pretty unique.

They all engaged in some pleasant small talk about various things; school subjects, hobbies, music, weather. Keiichi was very fond of motor vehicles and racing, it turned out, and his sister and girlfriend seemed to be fairly into it too. Megumi and Keiichi shared a fondness for softball as well. Ranma himself mentioned his extensive training in martial arts, and a basic interest in sports in general. Ranma found that he was actually enjoying himself, something that had happened all too rarely of late.

Still, there was something bothering him. Ranma felt a slight but constant tingling sensation throughout his whole body. It was the same feeling he got whenever there was danger around, or when someone was following him.

'Get a grip on yourself, Ranma,' he thought to himself. 'There's no one here trying to hurt you.' Absently, Ranma spun his chopsticks around in his hands a few times.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Keiichi asked him.

"Do what?"

"That thing with your chopsticks."

Ranma held up his right hand and twirled the chopsticks around his thumb. "That?"

Keiichi nodded. "Yeah."

Ranma shrugged. "Saotome school of Anything-Goes chopstick fighting."

"Fighting with chopsticks?" Megumi exclaimed. "I'd have to see that to believe it."

"Well, it's not really fighting, exactly..." Ranma admitted, "Although I did run into a guy who used them as his main weapon. It's more of a competition to see who can eat more food."

"What do you mean?" Belldandy asked.

"Simple. You just try to steal other people's food with your chopsticks, while defending your own."

"What good does that do?" Keiichi said.

"Reflexes, misdirection, deception, and learning to recognize them," Ranma replied. "Actually, I think it was just Pop's excuse to steal my food when I was growin' up."

"But that's awful," Belldandy exclaimed. "How could someone steal from their own child?"

Ranma laughed at that. Belldandy's question was a perfectly innocent one, but it was a question anyone who had ever spent time with his father would never ask. It wasn't really funny, but he laughed all the same.

Belldandy's face turned a slight shade of pink. "Did I say something funny?"

"Nah, it's just that..." Ranma hesitated. He didn't really want to go into his life story right now. He barely knew these people, after all. Really, he didn't know anyone here. Suddenly, Ranma felt very alone. He sighed. "It's about my father, not you. Don't worry about it."

They chatted for a bit longer, and Ranma felt a surge in the gentle tingling on the edge of his senses. Before he could isolate the source of the sensation, it diminished. He glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Well, I gotta be going," Ranma said, standing up. "I need to pick up some books for my next class. I'll see you all around, okay?"

"See you later, Saotome," Megumi said.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Ranma," Belldandy added.

"Same here," Keiichi said.

"Yeah, well, catch ya later."

* * *

The morning had been sunny, but now clouds threatened to pour out their wrath on the world, or at least cry about it a bit. Ranma hoped he made it back to the apartment before it started raining.

There was something bothering him, but he couldn't place a finger on it. Keiichi and Belldandy had seemed normal enough, just like Megumi, so it couldn't be them. Maybe it was just him. He wasn't really used to being around normal people, since his life had always been anything but. He'd gotten to know some of the students at Furinkan, but Furinkan didn't really fit the profile of "normal" any better than he did, and most of the students didn't either.

Maybe it was just the coming rain showers. Rain always made Ranma a little nervous, for obvious reasons.

Yeah, that was probably it. Just the rain.

* * *

* * *

Author's Notes: This idea came to me while reading through Chris Jones' enjoyable "Ranma's Apartment" series, where Ranma ends up leaving the dojo and moving in next door to Megumi Morisato. You can check it out at http://www.furinkan.net/.

This story takes place a few years after the end of the manga in Ranma 1/2 continuity, and somewhere between the end of the Oh My Goddess OVAs and the movie (which I haven't seen). Feel free to point out any wild inaccuracies in the timeline, and I'll think about changing them (if it doesn't mess up my story too much).


	2. Chapter 2

**Megumi's Wish**  
An Oh My Goddess / Ranma 1/2 Crossover fanfiction

by mrthou

Disclaimer: Based on characters and situations created by Kosuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess!) and Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2). They are used here without permission, but without intent of profit.

Chapter 2

  


* * *

* * *

Parties were something that Ranma Saotome didn't like.

It's not that he actually had anything against the basic premise: a group of people getting together to have fun was theoretically a good thing. But in practice, a water-triggered transformation curse and a tendency to attract trouble made parties and Ranma incompatible.

Not that anyone here knew that. Yet.

Still, he'd made a promise, and Ranma Saotome kept his promises.

The biggest problem, of course, was the curse. No-one here knew about it, and he'd like to keep it that way, as impractical as that might seem. It wasn't that he hated the curse; not the way he used to, at least. Oh, sure, he'd blustered and complained about turning into a girl, but the truth was, he'd grown used to it, and it really wasn't so bad. At least he was still human. Ranma could still do everything he normally could, and there were even some advantages to it.

On the other hand, the curse was a serious annoyance and embarrassment. It had put him in more awkward positions in the last three years than the whole rest of his life taken all at once. He was a cold-water magnet whenever he wished to stay male, and to make matters worse, a hot-water magnet when he tried to stay female -- not that he made a habit of being a girl.

Mostly, though, it was the reaction of other people that he worried about. Being seen as a freak by the whole campus was not high on his list of desires.

So, to the problem at hand. How to attend a party -- where there was sure to be an abundance of cold liquids -- without changing into a girl in front of everyone.

Idea one: go as a girl. Technically, he'd still be attending the party, just like he'd promised the Morisato girl. It had several advantages. First, he'd be less likely to run into hot liquids than cold, thereby sparing the embarrassment of accidental changing. Second, he'd be able to introduce everyone to "Ranko", so no one would be surprised when she showed up later (and show up she most certainly would).

On the other hand, it would mean using a fake identity more than he was comfortable with, and being hit on by the male population, which he _definitely_ wasn't comfortable with.

Okay, scratch that. Idea two: Water-proof soap. The advantages were clear, but Ranma only had a limited supply of the stuff. It would be best if he could get by without using it.

Idea three: go as-is, and avoid people with drinks like the plague. There were numerous problems with that, though. Water didn't set off his danger sense, so someone could still get him from behind. It would also make him seem anti-social, since the proportion of drink-holding people to non-drink-holding people would likely be pretty large.

Idea four: screw it all and just go. If an accident happened, he'd deal with it like a man. There was something almost liberating about the idea of doing whatever he liked and the rest of the world be damned.

Ranma mulled it over as he prepared his party dish, a spicy yakisoba recipe his mother had taught to him when she'd known him only as "Ranko", the Tendo's female cousin. By the time he'd finished, Ranma hadn't come up with any good plans. So, water-proof soap it was.

Ranma finished cleaning up, hopped into the shower for a quick treatment of aqua-block 100 proof. Two minutes later he was dressed and out the door, heading down the stairs to the common room.

Now he only had to deal with the inevitable trouble that would show up.

* * *

The party was going well, Megumi decided. Not that she'd expected any less. All it had taken was a few judiciously placed remarks to the right people. First, she'd mentioned it to Tamiya in passing, guaranteeing the presence of most of the motor club. True, most everyone thought the motor club was strange, but no one denied that they knew how to party. She'd also dropped a few offhand comments to several of the girls from the softball team, and a number of her other friends, to ensure proper mix of males and females.

Belldandy seemed to have anticipated the crowd, preparing a huge supply and selection of party foods. Megumi felt a little guilty about that, but Bell had just shrugged it off, saying that she enjoyed cooking.

On top of all that, many people, officially invited or not, brought friends. The result was a lively party by almost any standard.

The entertainment seemed to be going well, too. The pool table was seeing good use, and karaoke machine, for good or ill, was running full-tilt. While it was true most people enjoyed karaoke, it was equally true that most people did not enjoy listening to Tamiya's and Ootaki's singing -- or rather, their not so reasonable approximations of it.  
  
In general, though, most everyone seemed to be having a good time, singing, playing, talking, eating, drinking, and every combination of the above.

Yes, it was a most successful party.

Still, there was one person Megumi noticed who definitely was not having a good time, although almost any other man in his position would be extremely happy to be surrounded by half a dozen attractive women. She noticed him looking about distractedly, as if he was waiting for someone to bail him out. He caught her gaze, and gave her a look that clearly said, "Help!"

Megumi walked over to the little cluster, which seemed to be migrating toward the snack table. "Hey, Saotome, what's up?"

"Oh, hi Morisato. Nice party you've got, here."

Megumi smiled at the compliment. "It does seem to be going rather well. Everyone here having a good time?"

They all said that they were.

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've got to borrow Mr. Saotome here for a minute."

"Can't it wait?" One of the girls asked.

"Well, it probably could," Megumi admitted, "but I'd like to do it now before I forget. So if you'll excuse us?" 

There was some general grumbling, but none of the women actually moved to stop them as they moved out of the rec room.

"That's twice I've bailed you out now, Saotome," Megumi said. 

"Yeah, well, thanks. Those girls were starting to get a little annoying."

"You don't seem to be having a good time."

He looked away. "I guess parties just aren't my thing."

"Seems to me like maybe pretty girls aren't your thing."

"Hey," Saotome protested, "I like girls just fine. It's just... I'm not really interested in any of... them." He made a vague gesture in the direction of the main party group.

"Already have someone, huh?" Megumi didn't really think that was the case, for some reason, but she decided to ask anyway.

"No, not really," Saotome mumbled. His voice took on that same depressed quality she'd heard from him before. "I'm just not really interested at the moment."

"Well, if you say so," Megumi replied. "You know what you need to do?"

"What?"

"You need to relax a little. You're too tense. Eat, drink, sing. If you're too nervous to sing, drink some more, until you're not. Try to have a good time. And if you keep getting crowded, just go hang out with some of the motor club guys."

"Huh?"

"It'll work, trust me." Megumi turned to walk a way. "Oh, and by the way, you're on clean-up duty tonight."

He groaned. "Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

If there was one social activity that the goddess Urd truly enjoyed, it was that curious custom called a party. Urd made a habit of attending at least one party every week, even if it meant crashing. There was simply no better place for Urd to practice her chosen craft, that of leading mortals into the holy bonds of love. Megumi was quite nice to have invited Urd to this party. She'd have to do a favor for her in return.

Contrary to Keiichi's opinion, Urd was not really obsessed with sex. Sex was only one aspect of love, and not necessarily the most important. The only reason she teased her sister's boyfriend so blatantly was because he was completely hopeless when it came to physical intimacies.

Flirting was probably Urd's favorite aspect of love. It was such an enjoyable past-time, and one she was extremely skilled at. She was, as usual, having a great deal of success. But in this case, it was a bit boring: she already had most of the motor club boys wrapped around her fingers, so only a routine maintenance was required to encourage their behavior.

There were a few new faces around, but only one really caught her eye. A young man with blue eyes and a pig-tail had rejected her advances three times already, something she was unaccustomed to. In fact, she found it almost insulting. The boy -- he'd said his name was Ranma -- seemed oblivious to her verbal and physical charms. If he were gay, it might be understandable, but by watching where his eyes lingered, Urd could tell that wasn't the case.

Urd was mildly amused by the young man's reaction to Keiichi's sister. He seemed to treat most of the women who approached him with thinly-veiled hostility, but Megumi was treated with friendliness. It had to do with body language, she decided. Megumi suppressed her attraction to the boy, which unconsciously made him relax. Belldandy, who didn't have any attraction to Ranma whatsoever, provoked the same reaction.

Urd was a master of controlling her own actions. Normally, she made it perfectly clear through a combination of body language, voice, and pheromones that she was an attractive, interesting (and interested) woman. It was equally easy using the same techniques, to make herself entirely unobtrusive. Doing so, she approached Ranma once again.

"Oh. You're back," he said.

Urd was somewhat surprised by his reaction. Usually, humans would simply ignore her, or react in a manner that showed only a basic awareness of her presence when she used this trick. It was true even if she started the process directly in front of them. Ranma must be very aware of his surroundings.

"Yes, I'm back," Urd replied. "Don't worry, though. I can take a hint. You're not interested."

Ranma cracked half a smile. "You got that right. Most of these other girls don't seem to get it, though. How'd you do that, by the way?"

"Do what?"

"You tried to sneak up on me. It was kinda weird, like you were trying to make me ignore you. Actually, you're still doing it."

This startled Urd even more. She readjusted her posture and pheromone levels back to normal. "Better?"

"Yeah," Ranma answered, seeming suddenly uncomfortable. Urd toned down her presence a bit, and he unconsciously relaxed. "So, how'd you do that?"

"It's a matter of body language, mostly." Urd saw no reason to lie about it. "You just adjust your posture and motion in such a way that people think you don't matter."

"Hiding in plain sight?"

"Nicely put," Urd said. "That describes it quite well. C'mon, let's get a drink. I can't stand talking and not drinking." She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the refreshments. Ranma allowed himself to be led.

Urd was a master of more than just love potions. In fact, for the most part she only used love potions when she required a few laughs, as things never went as intended. She could still recall that time Tamiya had chased Aoshima around campus, proclaiming his undying affection.

No, love potions were dangerous. Much more useful were truth serums, emotional exhibitors, and several delightful concoction that loosened inhibitions while leaving the user in complete command of their mental facilities.

Urd poured a couple of drinks, adding a small quantity of her favorite truth serum to one cup while Ranma wasn't looking. The two drops she'd added to one of Keiichi's drinks earlier were enough to remove emotional inhibitions. Five drops would turn a person into a blathering idiot who did nothing but tell the absolute truth as they saw it, to whoever happened to pass by. A single drop would loosen the tongue slightly, causing a person to drop their defenses and answer questions they normally wouldn't, which was the effect she wanted to achieve. With practiced ease and slight of hand, Urd carefully dosed a glass, and handed it to Ranma.

They chatted for a bit about inconsequential things, and after a short while, Ranma's answers became longer and more detailed. The potion was working its magic.

"So, Ranma, tell me about yourself."

Ranma rambled on for a bit about martial arts; it seemed to be his purpose in life. He talked about his childhood, about the training trip that he went on with his father for ten years. He told Urd about falling into a spring called Jusenkyou, and how he'd obtained a curse to turn into a girl. Urd wasn't familiar with Chinese curses, but she knew several ways to achieve similar affects using potions. He talked for a while about his sixteenth year of life, and how he'd had four beautiful girls chasing him. When she tried asking about them, he promptly shut up.

"I don't want to talk about it," he told her.

"I won't ask again, then."

Urd asked several more questions, probing around the outside edges of the emotional block. But she never got far before he'd stop talking. She managed to coax names out of him --Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi, and Akane --, but nothing else. He never said anything directly; but Urd suspected that he'd had a break-up with one of them. Perhaps worse. Whatever it was, it had hurt him deeply.

Ranma was beginning to get irritated. "Look, none of this matters. It's all in the past, and I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

"Alright, then, if you don't want to talk about the past, then how about the present?"

"What about it?"

"Well, since you asked, I want to know why you aren't dating anyone. You seem to be rather popular with the ladies." Urd knew she wasn't being subtle. But then, that was why she used the truth potion in the first place. It spared a lot of effort.

"Umm... Well, it's just... I'm just not interested, alright? They're all being irritating." Ranma sullenly gulped down the remainder of his drink.

"All of them?" She prompted.

"Yeah. You included. Well, maybe not Belldandy, but she's got a boyfriend, so she don't have a reason to be. And maybe not those girls over there, since I haven't talked to them. And Megumi, 'cause she's not flirting with me, just being a friend, even if she _is_ making me do clean-up duty."

Urd had to exert a considerable amount of self-control to prevent laughter from escaping her lips. This boy was _too_ easy to manipulate. "Ah. So you don't like people who flirt with you."

"Yeah, something like that."

"Well, I'll try to restrain myself, then." Urd almost laughed. "Does that mean you like girls who _don't_ flirt with you?"

"Um... I guess." Ranma reached back and tugged nervously on his pig-tail.

"So, you must really like my sister and Megumi, since they haven't flirted with you all night."

"Um... I don't know," Ranma stammered. "Who's you're sister?"

"Belldandy," Urd replied.

"Really? You two don't look anything alike. Except for those weird tattoos you have." Urd was startled. This Saotome guy was full of surprises. Most people were encouraged to not notice the goddess markings. "But anyway, I guess I like them okay."

"Well, I'm sure they'll be glad to hear that. But my sister's already taken. So you'll just have to settle for Keiichi's sister."

"Morisato?"

"Well, that _is_ her name. But if you have any intentions, you _should_ consider calling her Megumi. It gets ever so confusing when you say 'Morisato'. I mean, who are you referring to? Keiichi? Megumi?"

"Uh, I guess." Ranma tried to take a drink from his cup, but it was empty, so he started back toward the table where the beer was set up. "I think I need a refill."

"Well, have a good time." And with that, Urd became invisible once again, wandering off to ponder her findings.

"Urd?" It was Belldandy. Of course, Bell was probably the only one who noticed her at the moment, except for Ranma.

"Yeah, sis?"

"What did you give to Keiichi?" Belldandy asked. She didn't sound angry, just curious.

"Just a few drops of a truth potion. It's harmless, and wears out in a couple of hours."

"Well, perhaps you should give it to him more often," Bell suggested. 

Urd was shocked. Her sister, encouraging her to drug Keiichi? "Why do you say that?"

"He's much more honest with himself this way. Much more affectionate."

"Why, sister, there _is_ a selfish bone in your body. I'm shocked, really."

Belldandy looked away, obviously suppressing a blush. "He needs to lose his nervousness. If you were to continue using this truth serum on him occasionally, it might help him to gain confidence."

Urd smirked. "Yes, it probably will. Especially with encouragement from you, little sister."

Belldandy's face turned pink. "Yes, well, I'll leave you to your thoughts, Sister." So saying, she returned to the side of her somewhat drunken boyfriend.

"Well, I didn't see that one coming."

* * *

It was sometime later, as the party was finally winding down, that Megumi approached Urd.

"What did you talk to him about?" she asked, gesturing to Ranma, who was helping Belldandy and Keiichi clean up a bit.

"Various things. He's actually got a rather fascinating story to tell, if you can coax it out of him."

"How did you manage to get him to talk at all? Megumi asked. "You didn't seem to be having much success earlier."

"I'm a master at conversation," Urd bragged. "Actually, it was rather simple. I just told him that I'd given up, and had no romantic interest in him whatsoever. After that, he talked a lot more."

"Do you know why he seems so unhappy?"

"No," Urd replied. "He wouldn't talk about it, and I wasn't going to ask him outright."

Megumi sighed. "You know, I just wish he could be happy."

Urd choked. Had Megumi just said what she thought she'd said? "What?"

Megumi looked at her curiously. "I said, I wish Saotome could be happy. Well, I'm going to help clean up."

Damn. She'd said the magic words. "I wish," she'd said. Urd was not required to grant wishes; it wasn't in her contract. But like every deity, she felt a nearly overwhelming compulsion to help. It was piece of genetic code that God Himself had programmed into the lesser divinity. And Megumi had just triggered that directive. To make matters worse, she'd made a reasonable, heart-felt wish, making the compulsion even stronger.

Urd had been caught off guard by the statement, though the sentiment didn't surprise her. The truth was, Megumi and her brother were very similar. They were both gifted with a selfless nature, willing and wanting to help others. It was a quality Belldandy had, as well. Urd really did not, and was somewhat envious.

_Well,_ Urd thought, _I _was_ planning to do something nice for her. So I'll make sure she gets her wish._

Urd smiled. Wish granting _would_ look good on her record. And if she could match up Megumi and the Saotome boy while she was at it, well, then, so much the better. And if that didn't work out, at least she would be entertained.

Hiding in plain sight, Urd walked out of the common room and looked for a television set to teleport through. She needed to get home -- there was a lot of research to be done.

It felt good to be back in business.

* * *

Overall, the party hadn't been too bad, Ranma thought as he meandered back toward his room. Three people had spilled drinks in his general direction, but out of longstanding habit he'd managed to avoid getting wet. Of course, after using the waterproof soap he didn't really need to worry about it, but it was still rather unpleasant to have beer spilled on one's self.

Sure, the girls had been a bit of a pain at first -- he still didn't understand why they all gravitated towards him --, but after a while most of them had given up. And Morisato had bailed him out twice -- not that he needed help, of course, but it made things easier.

He'd even taken her advice, and managed to relax a bit. The women seemed much less persistent once he actually started socializing a little, although he had no idea why. He'd never understand women, even if he did turn into one.

Navigating the stairs carefully -- he was a little drunk, so he took it slow, only three at a time -- Ranma wondered what was up with the Asgards. Both Urd and Belldandy scared him on some level that he couldn't quite understand, Urd more so than her younger sister. They both made him feel nervous, like he was about to be attacked. Urd's flirting had made him uncomfortable, but that sneaking trick she did could be better described as terrifying. There was something unusual about the two of them.

Arriving at the third floor, he staggered through the stairwell door and down the hall, exaggerating his sway slightly out of habitual showmanship.

Actually, for a while there, he'd been happy. It had been... nice. Happiness wasn't something he was accustomed to, recently.

"Oh, hey Megumi," he greeted as he passed. "Nice party. Thanks for inviting me."

"Ranma..."

Ranma stopped. He turned to face her. "Yeah?"

"Why are you up here? This is the fourth floor."

Ranma blinked. "It is?"

"Yes. It is."

"Uh. Oops," Ranma replied intelligently. "Well, um, guess I'll be going downstairs now." He started heading back. Megumi's arm stopped him.

"You okay?" Megumi asked. "Looks like you took my advice a little too far."

"Huh?" Ranma was having a hard time concentrating on what she was saying. There was something strangely alluring about her arm...

"You're drunk, Saotome."

"Yeah, pleasantly so." He looked her up and down, transfixed in his somewhat drunken stupor. She blushed, but didn't look away. She did lower her arm, though. His eyes traced the contour of that arm, following the line up to her shoulder, along the side of her neck, to her ear, and finally, her eyes. 

"Um, Saotome?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay? You don't seem quite... with it..." Megumi looked him straight in the eyes, forcing his gaze to lock with hers. Ranma looked away.

"Um, sorry." Geez, why the hell had he done that? It wasn't like she was _that_ much to look at. Sure, she was on the attractive side of average, but he'd seen a lot more of better. Hell, sometimes he _had_ better. All that weird stuff Urd had been saying was starting to get to him.

"Well, I think maybe you need to sleep," She offered with a half-smile. "I'd say you'll feel better in the morning, but you won't."

Ranma didn't reply, but nodded, and started heading back down the hall. Megumi followed.

* * *

Megumi put hand to her face, and felt heat.

Well, that had been embarrassing. A little flattering, too, she supposed. But very uncomfortable.

At least he seemed happier. She'd been right, a party was just the thing to cheer him up.

"So, what were you doing up here, anyway?" Ranma asked. "I mean, this isn't your floor, either."

Megumi pulled out a set of keys from her pocket, shaking them. "Had to unlock a door. Someone forgot their key."

"Oh. Well, just wondering."

They made their way down the hall in silence. As they approached the door to Saotome's apartment, he patted at his hip pockets, then his rear ones, prompting a few thoughts that Megumi quickly squashed.

"Um, Megumi, I think I forgot my keys, too."

Megumi pulled her master keys, finding the one for the third floor. She unlocked the door. "There you go, Saotome. Have a good night."

"Thanks. You too. Oh, and Megumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Ranma. I don't like to hear 'Saotome' from my friends, okay?"

Megumi smiled. "No problem. Well, good night, Ranma."

"Good night."

* * *

* * *

Author's notes: June 25, 2002.

Chapter 2 draft is finally complete! I actually got somewhere! 


	3. Chapter 3

Megumi's Wish  
An Oh My Goddess / Ranma 1/2 Crossover fanfiction  
  
by mrthou  
  
Disclaimer: Based on characters and situations created by Kosuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess!) and Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2). They are used here without permission, but without intent of profit.  
  
Chapter 3  
==========  
  
It was a week and a half into the new quarter, and Ranma was finally beginning to feel like he fit in. The apartment party had been great; Ranma discovered that several of his fellow students were actually really cool people, Megumi especially.  
  
Then, over the weekend he had met with the current captains of the various martial arts clubs, and after presenting his credentials obtained permission to act as an instructor for the Kempo club and the Aikido club.  
  
He'd also had a chance to see Tatewake Kuno again, and managed to have a rather civil and almost friendly conversation. Kuno had dropped the ego and the poetry, and hadn't once blamed Ranma for anything involving the accident, for which he was greatly relieved -- it wasn't an event Ranma wanted to dwell on. All in all, the change of scenery was doing Kuno a world of good. Ranma too, for that matter.  
  
Ranma had eaten lunch with Megumi on Monday. She was fast becoming a very good friend, something Ranma felt he needed badly. He hadn't had any really good friends since the accident, except for Ryoga, and he was never around. Tuesday he'd hung out with some of the guys from the Kempo club, and taught his first class to some of the less experienced members.  
  
Now it was Wednesday, a day the whole campas, Ranma included, was looking forward to, because today was the campus festival.  
  
The school festival was quite a thing to see; a clash of colors, shapes, and sounds that seemed to blend together to form a general sort of noise, both visual and aural. Vendors were scattered about, selling snacks and drinks. Clubs raucously shouted at passers-by, each one with a gimmick or trick to try to attract members. Some dressed up as animals, some had scantily clad women. The chess club had somehow managed to start a human-sized chess game.  
  
It was all more than a little silly, Ranma mused. Those who were interested in a particular club were going to join regardless of the display, and those who joined because of the display were likely to drop out pretty quickly.  
  
The club fair was really a form competition, and not much else. It existed so each club could say, "Look, we had XXX number of people join our club!" even though the numbers were meaningless.  
  
Ranma was currently passing through what could probably be called the "team sports" section. There were people shouting, "Join the baseball club" or "Soccer club here!" Strangely enough, there was even a lacross team, whatever that was. It even seemed to be attracting a fair amount of attention as the club members tossed little balls back and forth with strange looking nets.  
  
The baseball club had managed to catch his eye; not because Ranma was really interested in baseball, but rather because they had a radar gun set up next to their stage. People were lining up to take their best shot at pitching. It looked moderately interesting, so Ranma joined the line.  
  
Megumi came running over dressed in a white softball uniform. "Hey, Ranma, what's up?"  
  
Ranma pointed at the radar setup. "Thought I'd try my hand at that. I've always kinda wondered how fast I could throw things. What's with the uniform?"  
  
"Oh, this? I told you I was captain of the softball club, didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, you did, didn't you?" They watched for a moment as the next person pitched.  
  
"87 miles per hour!" shouted the man holding the gun. "New high for the day!"  
  
The young man who had thrown the ball turned to the crowd and grinned while his friends cheered.  
  
"87, that's pretty good," Megumi said.  
  
"I can beat that," Ranma replied. "He didn't throw it all that hard."  
  
"Yeah, right, Saotome. I'll believe it when I see it."  
  
They waited as two more people took their turns, posting highs of 72 and 69. Then it was Ranma's turn.  
  
The guy running the booth handed Ranma 3 baseballs. "You have three throws. We'll tell you the speed after each throw, and post your high on the board, if it's in the top five. Just aim for the target."  
  
"No prob."  
  
Ranma decided it might look suspicious if he threw as hard as he actually could. Normal people weren't used to seeing someone move that fast. So when he cocked his arm back and threw, it was only about two thirds of what he could manage.  
  
"89!" came the shout. "New high for the day!" There was a round of clapping.  
  
Ranma threw again, a little harder this time. The ball flew out of his hand and smacked the center of the target on the tarp.  
  
The baseball player holding the radar gun whistled loudly. "94 miles per hour." There was more applause, a little louder this time. Several of the other baseball players crowded around the one with the gun, trying to get a closer look.  
  
Ranma threw his third and final ball, still holding back, but a little bit harder than before. It, too, hit the center of the bulls-eye.  
  
There was silence for a moment, and one holding the gun said, "It doesn't have enough digits."  
  
There was a whole lot of talking at once as the baseball team argued about what it meant. Finally, one of them announced the results. "It appears that this person -- what's your name?"  
  
"Ranma Saotome," Ranma replied.  
  
"-- Ranma Saotome has a new high for the day. 104 miles per hour."  
  
There was a great deal of commotion while various people congratulated him and others asked if he would be joining the team. Ranma waved a few times and answered that he wasn't considering it.  
  
"My gosh, Ranma how'd you do that?" Megumi asked after she had recovered from the shock of his performance. "That's harder than anyone in the majors pitches!"  
  
"Yep, but they can throw the ball over the plate. I'm not sure if I could, and I'm not interested in finding out."  
  
"You're lying, Saotome," Megumi replied. "You hit the target every time. And besides, I can tell when people are lying to me."  
  
"I kinda doubt that," he said. "But still, you're right. I wasn't even throwin' as hard as I could."  
  
"You mean you could throw faster?" Megumi asked incredulously.  
  
"I just said that."  
  
"Hmm... you'll have to show me sometime. Well, I've gotta get going. Gotta go recruit some more members for the softball team," Megumi said. "If you wanna go say 'hi' to my brother, he's with the Motor Club on the other side of campas, over by the engineering building."  
  
"I'll be sure to do that. You gonna come watch my demonstration for the Kempo club?"  
  
"Sure," Megumi replied. "2:30, right?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Megumi waved and ran off, and Ranma found himself alone, with an hour and a half to kill.  
  
So he wandered around, visiting booths here and there. He won a pair of two-and-a-half foot long chopsticks in a rice eating contest, and lost a game of ping pong rather spectacularly to Urd. He was impressed: she was fast, almost as fast as he was. His initial impression was correct. Urd was someone to take very seriously.  
  
Eventually, he made his way over to the motor club's stage. He talked with Belldandy for a bit, since Keiichi was busy helping set up the stage for a proformance that looked to be loud, flashy, probably dangerous, and definitely stupid. It looked like they were going to have some sort of plane take off, or something like that.  
  
Ranma left rather quickly, because for some reason Belldandy made him feel rather nervous. He wasn't sure why, but every time he was near her, his danger sense went haywire. Oh, well, he'd learn to deal with it, eventually. Just not right now. Ranma made his way back to the sports area, and joined the rest of the Kempo club members, who were already warming up for the performance.  
  
----------  
  
Megumi was very pleased with how the sign-ups had gone. There seemed to be a genuine interest in softball, and so far fifteen additional girls had penned their name for a spot on the team. The team needed another pitcher, but the other positions were all filled.  
  
Megumi left the stand in the capable hands of the second captain, and ran across campus to the auto club booth, stopping at a convienient restroom to change out of her softball uniform and into something a little more suited for working with machinery. She'd agreed to help them with their show, but that wasn't for another hour.  
  
Watching Ranma's performance with the baseball club had lent a lot of credibility to a few of the stories he'd told her. He had said that he was a world-class martial artist, and at first she thought he was bragging. But Ranma's sense of humor seemed to be too self-depricating for him to be lying outright. Maybe it really was possible to throw 50 punches in a second, or jump twelve feet into the air, like on some of those cheesy samurai dramas. She certainly hadn't thought anyone his size could throw a baseball over a hundred miles per hour.  
  
Well, she'd find out later. Right now she had to drag her brother away from his pet project for a while. Get him to relax a little, maybe.  
  
"Hey Kei! Hows's it going?" she called as she approached.  
  
Keiichi waved back at her. "Not too bad. I'm a little nervous, though."  
  
"I'm not surprised. You know how to fly that thing?"  
  
"More or less," he answered. "It's the landing that's got me worried."  
  
"I'm sure you'll do just fine, dear," Belldandy said. "So what brings you over here so early, Megumi? We weren't expecting you for another half-hour."  
  
"You guys have gotta come see this."  
  
"See what?" Keiichi asked.  
  
"Ranma's going to give a demonstration of his martial arts over on the soccer field. I'm guessing it'll be pretty amazing."  
  
"Why do you say that?" Keiichi asked.  
  
"Supposedly he's a Master of Kempo," Megumi replied. "Something like 8th dan, or something. I'm not quite sure what that means, but Yuriko said it was really high."  
  
"Ah. Sure, I'll come. I need to relax a bit anyway," Keiichi said. "I'd better bring a towel, though."  
  
"A towel, Keiichi?" Belldandy asked.  
  
"What for?" Megumi said.  
  
"To wipe up the drool, sister dear," Keiichi replied.  
  
"I do not drool, brother dear," Megumi answered. "Last time I checked, that was your particular social Faux Pas."  
  
Keiichi laughed nervously. "You still remember that, huh?"  
  
"Of course I remember. It wasn't all *that* long ago. Should I tell..." Megumi made a gesture towards Belldandy that she couldn't see.  
  
"Tell me what, Megumi?" Belldandy asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just something that happened in high school. I'm sure he'll tell you about it sometime."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get going," Keiichi said. And with that, he tucked the towel under his arm and stalked off toward the soccer field. Belldandy and Megumi followed.  
  
----------  
  
Ranma had decided that for this performance, at least, he wouldn't do anything too flashy. No, he'd do something rather simple: one of the kempo kata he frequently used as a warm-up exercise. Of course, Ranma's definition of a simple kata was something that would tie an ordinary person into knots and give even some masters problems.  
  
The kata on its own, however, would be too boring, so Ranma decided he'd do it on top of a chain-link fence.  
  
Okay, maybe it was a *little* flashy. But only just a little.  
  
Ranma completed his warm-up stretches and looked around at some of the other club-members. "How long," Ranma asked.  
  
"Any time, sensei," one of the students replied.  
  
"Okay, Tetsuo, go out there and announce me." Ranma smirked. "And open the curtain when wind-bag over there wraps it up."  
  
Tetsuo grumbled a bit at the wind-bag comment, but then stepped out from behind the curtain, to address the gathered masses.  
  
"Ladies and Gentleman," he called out with a megaphone, "your attention please. Our newest instructor, Ranma Saotome, has graciously volunteered to do a little demonstration. I should warn you, though, it is not for the faint of heart. If any of you are prone to fainting, you might want to leave now, for what you are about to see is, to put is succinctly, death-defying."  
  
"Get on with it!" someone shouted from the audience.  
  
"Er... yes. Anyway, without further ado, I present to you our sensei, Master of the School of Indiscriminate Grappling, Eighth dan in the Art of Kempo, and one time winner of the King of Nerima fighting tournament... Ranma Saotome!"  
  
The curtain opened, but Ranma Saotome wasn't there. Instead, he was already on the fence, eight feet above the stage, and a good ten feet off the ground altogether.  
  
And then he began.  
  
----------  
  
To say that Megumi and her companions were impressed was an understatement. Rather, they, and the rest of the crowd, were absolutely floored. Even Belldandy seemed shocked, and Belldandy was one of the hardest people to surprise that Megumi knew. The skill that Ranma seemed to be pushing the very limits of human ability.  
  
Megumi was having a hard time believing that a person could move as fast as Ranma was moving. Oh, intellectually she could accept it. After all, the evidence was right before her eyes. But in every other way it was possible to believe something, she couldn't. He was simply too fast. His punches and kicks struck thin air a furious pace, his whole body seemed to blur as he moved back and forth. She kept on expecting to hear thunder as the air was rapidly displaced and replaced by his hands and feet.  
  
And to add to the disbelief, he was doing it all on a fence no more than an inch and a half wide.  
  
Suddenly, 'world-class martial artist' seemed like an understatement.  
  
Finally, Ranma's kata wound down, and he jumped off the fence with a double flip to land on the stage. He bowed to a thunderous applause.  
  
Megumi looked at her watch. Five minutes. Five minutes had passed since he started. It had seemed like much longer than that.  
  
"I recognize him, now," Belldandy said.  
  
"Huh?" Keiichi replied intelligently.  
  
"The name. It's been bothering me for a while, but now I know who he is."  
  
"Ah. Okay. Well, I have to admit, that was one heck of a performance," Keiichi said. "Have to admire the Kempo club's tactics. They'll rake in the new members with a performance like that. Not to mention the cash."  
  
Megumi just stared at the stage, where Ranma was still taking his bows. She felt something soft dabbing at the corner of her mouth. Absently she swiped at it with her hand.  
  
Wait. Something dabbing at her mouth.  
  
The word white wandered through her mind, in search of something to connect with. The dabbing stopped, and something passed in front of her face.  
  
"Towel," she murmured. Then it hit her, literally, and draped itself over her head.  
  
She ripped the towel off her head and growled, "Kei-i-chi..."  
  
Keiichi was laughing uproariously at her. Belldandy was doing her best to stifle a giggle.  
  
"Ha ha! Sorry, couldn't resist!" He continued to laugh.  
  
Belldandy managed to get her giggling under control and apologized for her boyfriend.  
  
"No, it's not your fault my brother has a warped sense of humor, Belldandy." Megumi glanced at her laughing brother, then turned her attention back to Bell. "Besides, you have siblings, too. So you know what it's like. I'll just have to one-up him later."  
  
"That's very true," Belldandy said. "I've been on the recieving end of Urd's jokes on more than one occasion."  
  
"And you've gotten back at her, too, right?"  
  
"Well, in a manner of speaking..." Belldandy blushed with embarrasment.  
  
"Ooh, you'll have to tell me about it some time," Megumi said.  
  
"Hey, Bell, what did you mean when you said you knew Ranma?" Keiichi asked.  
  
"Oh, well, I'll have to check when we get home, but, a few years ago one of my... cousins was... defeated by a Japanese boy named Ranma Saotome, I suppose you could say. It happened in China. My cousin was quite a formidible warrior, so we were all rather shocked to hear he was defeated by a mere boy."  
  
"Bell, when you say 'defeated', what do you mean?" Megumi asked.  
  
Belldandy paused for a moment, and a worried frown appeared on her face for a brief second. "I mean he was almost destroyed. He's alive, though."  
  
Keiichi was looking thoroughly shocked at the answer.  
  
"Well, I suppose that kind of thing can happen in martial arts fights," Megumi said. Still, it made her nervous to think that Ranma, one of her friends, had nearly killed someone. She wondered if he had ever actually taken a life. Or if he had ever intended to do so.  
  
She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.  
  
But later. Definitely later. Right now, she had an airplane flight to go watch. It would give her a chance to get a better grip on reality, at least. Then again, the way strange things tended to happen around her brother, maybe not.  
  
----------  
  
Ranma was immensly pleased with his performance. The number of dropped jaw was a testiment to his showmanship. And there were few things Ranma Saotome enjoyed more than showing off his Art.  
  
Tetsuo and the rest of the kempo club had their hands full for the moment, with all the new member sign-ups. It was time to exit stage right before someone got the bright idea of pressing him into service signing up new members.  
  
Drawing a few more amazed gasps from the crowd, Ranma lept back up onto the fence and ran towards the engineering building. Megumi and Keiichi had come to watch his performance; now it was time to go watch theirs.  
  
=========== 


End file.
